Ekko
New Member
- Messages
- 14
- Location
- The United States
Hello guys/gals, I've got a few questions that I wanted to put in one post in one place rather than multiple posts in different areas, so I hope that's okay...
1. Today I changed the substrate in both of my geckos tanks (used to be sand, switched to paper towels)...I noticed when trying to pick them up (to put them in a large plastic tub while I cleaned the cages, and also to put them back into the cages) that they are still skittish and frightened of me (one of them even made that screeching/frightened sound). I pick them up gently and I don't squeeze them, and I've put my hand in their tanks before like suggested so that they will get used to me, but even though they aren't frightened of my hand they are extremely skittish when I try to pick them up. I feel bad, because I want to spend more time with them, but I don't want to scare the crap out of them or make them drop their tails...
2. I separated my geckos about two weeks ago because one was noticeably skinnier than the other, I suspected that the fatter one was bullying the scrawnier one and keeping watch on the food bowl. Even though the skinnier one has plumped up a bit, she is still much smaller than the chunky one. I purchased them both at the same time and they were the same size, but slowly one began to outweigh the other. I've seen the scrawnier one eat, but so far she hasn't gotten anywhere near as big as the other. Is it possible that she just won't plump up? I'm wondering because I want to be able to put them back together again, for companionship, but I don't want the scrawnier one to starve/be bullied by the other. I realize that lack of stomach heat could make it difficult for a gecko to digest their food (and make them not eat, aswell) but the other gecko fattened right up with no problem without an under-tank heater (which I also have a question about), yet the other didn't. I'm not sure what I should do.
3. Tonight I am going to order an under-tank heater for my geckos (off of eBay, because I've found a few deals and because the prices of UTH's in petstores are outrageous) and hopefully it'll get here within a week. But before I order one, I have question about the sizing of the UTH's. The UTH's for 10-20gal just seem so small! I have a 10gal, but based on the dimensions of the 10-20gal UTH (6x8) only a corner of the tank will be warmed as opposed to 1/3-1/2. I was wondering if I could use a 30-40 gal UTH (8x12) and place it sideways in a way so that both of the tanks will be heated. Would that be safe to do? I'm also wondering about the wattage, and if it'll be to hot for them. I was thinking that I could use a light dimmer to adjust the heat, but should I even bother buying the larger one in the first place? What are your opinions?
Sorry for all the rambling
1. Today I changed the substrate in both of my geckos tanks (used to be sand, switched to paper towels)...I noticed when trying to pick them up (to put them in a large plastic tub while I cleaned the cages, and also to put them back into the cages) that they are still skittish and frightened of me (one of them even made that screeching/frightened sound). I pick them up gently and I don't squeeze them, and I've put my hand in their tanks before like suggested so that they will get used to me, but even though they aren't frightened of my hand they are extremely skittish when I try to pick them up. I feel bad, because I want to spend more time with them, but I don't want to scare the crap out of them or make them drop their tails...
2. I separated my geckos about two weeks ago because one was noticeably skinnier than the other, I suspected that the fatter one was bullying the scrawnier one and keeping watch on the food bowl. Even though the skinnier one has plumped up a bit, she is still much smaller than the chunky one. I purchased them both at the same time and they were the same size, but slowly one began to outweigh the other. I've seen the scrawnier one eat, but so far she hasn't gotten anywhere near as big as the other. Is it possible that she just won't plump up? I'm wondering because I want to be able to put them back together again, for companionship, but I don't want the scrawnier one to starve/be bullied by the other. I realize that lack of stomach heat could make it difficult for a gecko to digest their food (and make them not eat, aswell) but the other gecko fattened right up with no problem without an under-tank heater (which I also have a question about), yet the other didn't. I'm not sure what I should do.
3. Tonight I am going to order an under-tank heater for my geckos (off of eBay, because I've found a few deals and because the prices of UTH's in petstores are outrageous) and hopefully it'll get here within a week. But before I order one, I have question about the sizing of the UTH's. The UTH's for 10-20gal just seem so small! I have a 10gal, but based on the dimensions of the 10-20gal UTH (6x8) only a corner of the tank will be warmed as opposed to 1/3-1/2. I was wondering if I could use a 30-40 gal UTH (8x12) and place it sideways in a way so that both of the tanks will be heated. Would that be safe to do? I'm also wondering about the wattage, and if it'll be to hot for them. I was thinking that I could use a light dimmer to adjust the heat, but should I even bother buying the larger one in the first place? What are your opinions?
Sorry for all the rambling
